The invention relates to a grain cart having an improved conveyor system for moving grain from the cart and discharging it to a desired location.
Portable grain carts are commonly used during the harvesting of grain to temporarily store the grain during the harvest. The portable cart is usually towed by a tractor alongside the combine to receive the grain as it is harvested. The cart is then towed to a truck where the grain is discharged from the cart into the truck for transport to a storage facility such as a grain bin, grain elevator, etc. The use of grain carts therefore can greatly improve the efficiency of the harvest.
There are numerous manufacturers of grain carts of varying designs. As is well known to those skilled in the art, the grain cart typically includes an auger conveyor usually mounted with its inlet end inside the hopper and then extending toward the front or left front corner of the grain cart. The auger conveyor moves the grain from the bottom of the grain cart hopper upwardly and outwardly where grain can be discharged into a truck for transport. Because the auger must extend outwardly from the hopper of the grain cart a sufficient distance and height to enable efficient unloading, the auger is usually made in two sections. A lower section is mounted inside or on the side of the hopper to move the grain out of the bottom of the hopper, and an upper section is mounted outside the hopper and connected to the lower section to carry the grain to a sufficient height for discharge into a truck or other storage or transport facility. Because it is undesirable during storage or transport of the grain cart for the auger to extend outwardly from the cart, the upper section is usually mounted so that it can be swung out of the way alongside the grain cart. The necessity of providing for movement of the upper part of the auger between a transport position and a operating position requires that a suitable connection be provided between the upper and lower sections. The design of this connection creates problems of how to drive the two auger sections and seal the joint between them. Typical grain carts having various auger arrangements are shown in Grieshop U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,208, Warsaw U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,621 and Barker U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,790. With the auger systems of the grain carts illustrated by these prior art patents, the grain can be distributed as it is discharged by the auger only by moving the cart since the upper auger section is fixed to the lower auger section once they are locked in place in the operating position. Tharaldson U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,344 shows a portable grain cart which has two independently operable augers, each driven by a hydraulic motor. This arrangement permits the upper or discharge auger to be swung through a wide arc during discharge of the grain thereby allowing discharge of the grain to be spread without moving the cart itself.
Regardless of the particular arrangement of the system for removing the grain from the cart and discharging it into a truck or storage facility, the known prior art systems employ an auger in two sections or use two independent augers. Although these prior art carts are extensively used in grain harvest, they are not suitable for all types of crops and other material, and occasionally, the material being handled can be damaged by the auger resulting in losses to the farmer. There is therefore a need for an improved discharge system that is capable of handling almost all crops and other materials without the fear of damage to the material. Any such improved discharge system for grain carts must also be such that it has all of the advantages of the prior art system without the disadvantages, including ease of use and maintenance.